说真话,但不要说出所有真话。没有什么事比袒露真相更需要谨慎的了——说真话就像用手术刀给心脏做手术一样。透露真相和掩盖真相一样,耗费人的心机。一句简单的谎言就可能毁掉你整个诚实的名声。欺骗被视为背叛,骗子被视为叛徒——后者更严重。但是,不是所有的事实都可道出:有时是为了保全自己,有时是为了保全他人。
The truth, but not the whole truth. Nothing demands more caution than the truth: it is the lancet of the heart. It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it. A single lie destroys a whole reputation for integrity. The deceit is regarded as treason and the deceiver as a traitor, which is worse. Yet not all truths can be spoken: some for our own sake, others for the sake of others.